- 2 anni fa
Intervista a George MacKay, protagonista di The Beast insieme a Léa Seydoux , film di Bertrand Bonello ispirato al romanzo La bestia nella giungla di Henry James, in cui interpreta tre versioni diverse della stessa persona in epoche differenti. In sala.
Categoria
🎥
CortometraggiTrascrizione
00:00Algorithms cannot predict the future, they can only tell you what's worked before.
00:13Hello. Hi, nice to see you. First of all, kudos to you for always choosing a really complex role,
00:22both physically and psychologically. Why do you love thinking Greek so much?
00:29Well, firstly, thank you for saying that. I mean, to me, they're the best roles.
00:35You know, they're the most, all you know of a project really is the doing of it.
00:41You know, what it becomes afterwards is out of your hands.
00:45So, I mean, the roles that I've been lucky to play, I just feel I've wanted to play them
00:49because the process of doing them has been the most fascinating, the most enlightening, the most exciting.
00:57Yeah, and why not, really? It's the best thing about it. You want to, you want to, those characters,
01:03to me, they're the best, they're the most fascinating.
01:06And thinking about taking risks, I think that the beast in this movie is really fear of emotion.
01:14And for an actor, I think it's absurd to fear emotion. Why, in your opinion, nowadays, we really fear emotion
01:24so much?
01:25We should be more keen to feel and express emotions with social media, with everything, but we are afraid. Why,
01:34in your opinion?
01:36Why? I think because culturally, it's not become normal. I think, I think we're sort of, sort of sleepwalking into
01:45a way of being that is, is unemotional, and is kind of natural, unnatural.
01:50And I think, therefore, when we do, I mean, I can't speak for the entire world, but, you know, day
01:55to day, seeing people in person less, the way in which we meet people is, is changing, the way in
02:03which you're allowed so much time to create a version of yourself before putting yourself across all of these things.
02:09I think, you know, when you have the choice to cherry pick the parts of you that you share, which,
02:15of course, you still do in day to day interactions, but with the removal of kind of physical interaction, I
02:25think if you get unused to sharing your emotions, then it becomes scary.
02:31And also, sort of, culturally, I don't know if that's, I think when that doesn't become the norm, it's just
02:38harder to do, really.
02:40So, I know, it's funny, though, because, yeah, it's sort of strange that that should be happening, and this story,
02:46I think, was, is why it was, why I was drawn to it, because I think that fear can be
02:52a very destructive force, and ultimately, it's a film about fear.
02:56You know, I think the beast is fear, it's the fear of commitment, it's the fear of emotion, it's the
03:01fear of being hurt, and I think, you know, that instinct, albeit sometimes, you know, useful to keep yourself safe,
03:08it's like an animal instinct, but it can also, it can keep you from some of the most beautiful and
03:13extraordinary things in life.
03:16So, a cautionary tale about that, I thought was useful.
03:20And speaking about that, I feel also that identity is a huge thing of this movie, and you play the
03:30same person in three different versions, and we understand that environment is a huge part of who we are, because
03:42Louis is a different person with a different environment.
03:47So, if we can choose who we are, who are we, how can we find our identity? Yeah, you're an
03:53actor, so you know better than me.
03:55No, maybe not. Maybe the actors are maybe the worst people to ask, I don't know. I don't know, I'm
04:02fascinated by that same question, by is it nature or nurture?
04:07Like, what is the part of me that will never change if I had been born in the 1800s in
04:12a different country, to different parents, with different siblings, with a different partner?
04:16Like, I feel like, and also in life, how much is sort of, do we not have a choice about,
04:25and how much do we sort of, do we make a choice?
04:29How much is our own? How much is fate? How much is sort of, you know, stuff that we have
04:35no control over?
04:36I don't know all of these things, but I find it fascinating, and kind of more and more fascinating as
04:41I sort of, you know, go through life, and you meet, you sort of try out these choices, you know,
04:46you try out these, you try answering these questions for yourself.
04:51And so this character was kind of perfect to explore that, because you have, Bertrand always said, it's the same
04:58person, but they're different people.
04:59So it was about kind of trying to find what the through line is of all three, and why justifiably,
05:07they could be the same at their core, and yet be so different in every other way.
05:13And that it came from understanding the script, and this metaphor of the beast being the fear of love, the
05:19fear, like fear in general, potentially, but the fear of love and commitment of being hurt.
05:26And, and that came from the novel that it was based on the novella, the beast in the jungle.
05:32And, and so I kind of thought, right, well, if all if the through line of all three of these
05:36men is a fear, is someone who has a fear at their core, why would they be different in each
05:42scenario?
05:43And I felt that in 1910, in a society that was perhaps more kind of guarded and repressed, you know,
05:50you, you get away with so much, because you never have to show anything, you know,
05:54an ankle being shown or the touching of hands is as, you know, is as transgressive as today's, you know,
06:02kissing in the streets or whatever it is.
06:04And I feel like almost he would know that innately and play upon that.
06:08And that's why he was able to be a sort of playboy, because he was, you know, he could exist
06:13within his fear and appear totally bold.
06:15Um, and then with the second one in the US, I think that's a culture that is so based on
06:21a kind of championing and success and masculinity and capitalism.
06:27Someone who feels at their core that they doubt themselves, you know, turns inward in that scenario.
06:33Um, and then the, the, the third version, I guess is, you know, it's probably the most level he's discussing
06:40both options and ultimately he tips the way he does.
06:43But yeah, it's just about kind of going, okay, I identified for me, the, the through line of all three
06:48of those was fear.
06:50And that came because Louis himself has to be the beast for Gabrielle.
06:55So once I knew what the beast was, I knew what the beast had to be for Gabrielle and I
06:59knew what I had to be for her.
07:01And it was fair and thinking about the second identity, the American guy, why, in your opinion, uh, young men
07:11are becoming more and more conservative.
07:14There's a study that says that young men in America are getting more conservative and many of them really have
07:23a grudge against women.
07:25And why inside culture is becoming so huge because it was like, it is, like you said, it's the environment.
07:34We, we can be different people.
07:35So why is it like that right now when we have so many occasions to meet people, to be together?
07:42Yeah.
07:43Yeah.
07:44Why?
07:45I mean, I, I don't know exactly.
07:48My, my thoughts are probably that it's because the patriarchy is being recalibrated.
07:53You know, I think we still are in a, uh, mainly a very patriarchal world and thankfully it's becoming more
07:59balanced and everything about sort of gender identity is being re-evaluated as well.
08:06And there are so many beautiful changes happening in this, but I think a lot of men feel threatened by
08:11this sort of innate power that they feel born into.
08:14Because, you know, it's always been that men, you know, the, the patriarchy rules, you know, and suddenly now this
08:21is being changed.
08:23I think men haven't understood, men have just taken it so often that it should be that way.
08:29Haven't even considered whether that's justified or valid or not.
08:32And then therefore don't really have an understanding of why it shouldn't be that way.
08:37And so just act in a sort of animal.
08:39No, I want it back.
08:40That's not for you.
08:41That's, and it must be your fault, not my fault.
08:43And that sort of animal, again, it's a fear.
08:46It's a fear of misunderstanding why that power or not power is the wrong word, but why, why that balance
08:52should absolutely shift.
08:54Why, you know, why everything needs to be more kind of fluid.
08:57And, um, so I think, I think that sort of leaning towards a clarity as well.
09:02I think also as well, when things are in flux, people want to go for clarity.
09:06They want something to be clear.
09:07If I don't understand, I just give me a clear, simple answer.
09:10And I think the simpler the answer, some of the time, those kind of super clear binary choices are not
09:17necessarily, you know, they're not flexible.
09:20And, and in life, you need to be flexible, you know, like the world will make you bend.
09:25Um, so, so I think that's why, I think.
09:36We, we, we really, nowadays, we really tend to, uh, suppress the idea of death, of, of getting old.
09:45So, how important was it to you to really think about those things?
09:50Because movies are the, the climax of death, uh, of, of not thinking about getting old and not thinking about
10:00that because you, you are on a screen forever.
10:02So, how important was it to you to think about those things?
10:08About, about death and about getting old.
10:10I think it's about, um, I don't know.
10:13I don't really, I don't know how much I thought about sort of death necessarily with this.
10:18I think it's about, um, yeah, I, maybe it's just a sort of time of reflecting.
10:25Like I had, um, I've had, I've had a family recently and like, you know, in the last few years
10:30and that, that of course, like has made me reflect massively on the things that I haven't, you know, I've
10:37chosen not to look at what I feel that the world, what I want to look at, what I want,
10:41you know, to recalibrate, to, to understand.
10:44And I think that sort of, maybe that sort of, uh, reflective nature is kind of leads, has led me
10:51to themes like this.
10:52I don't know necessarily how that pertains to death because, you know, with, with this, I haven't, I haven't thought
10:57about it too, too much, but I guess it's also, we are, this is kind of, it's quite an existential
11:02film, this, and the world as a people, we're having a kind of existential crisis about, about the globe.
11:09You know, I'm, I've, I've taken planes recently, but I also understand that there is science to prove that I
11:15absolutely shouldn't.
11:16And I've got children that will step into that world and that choice is an existential, you know, I could
11:21go down and sort of intellectualize it too much, but I think we are innately aware that there is potentially
11:27an ending and how seriously we take that or not is a personal choice and a societal choice.
11:34And while all those questions are, are fizzing round in the air and very present in the news and in
11:40our conversations day to day, maybe that's what kind of leads to a kind of reflection on endings as much
11:46as death.
11:48And thinking about existential things, this movie is really, uh, bold.
11:54And, and since you make bold choice when you choose, uh, a movie, uh, I would talk to kids in
12:01your opinion to really provoke the audience because nowadays, uh, everybody thinks about, uh, algorithms and how to really comfort
12:12the audience.
12:13Uh, but I think that movies like this one are important because we need to be provoked sometimes.
12:19Yeah, I think anything that's inspired me growing up is, as there's, there's an element of massive originality to it.
12:26I think the things that stand the test of time are original choices.
12:30And I read, I listened to a great interview with someone talking the other day and they just, they split,
12:35explained very bluntly, which we kind of know algorithms cannot predict the future.
12:38They can only tell you what's worked before.
12:40So if you're there's a, that's a completely backward looking way to try and create something.
12:44So if you want to, and I, and I believe that we just, it's essential when so much is kind
12:49of given to us automatically, algorithmically, it's essential for the future of this world culturally, that we keep learning to
12:58succeed through originality, that we keep making films like this, aiming at originality, knowing that it won't always work.
13:05But when it does, it's going to be so much better than something that's kind of, we knew might work
13:10already because a bunch of computer programs told us it would.
13:13So I think it's just, it's, it's culturally vital that we continue to aim for originality because that's the only
13:20way that we'll get new ideas.
13:23So, so yeah.
13:24And, and, and at the minute there seems to be such a celebration of algorithmic choices that I think is
13:30worrying.
13:32Yeah, I agree.
13:33And can you tell me something about the underwater scene because it's amazing, it reminded me of Dario Argento Inferno.
13:41So how was shooting that scene?
13:44It was kind of like, it was kind of dreamy because, because you're just underwater and I've, I've never been
13:51scuba diving before.
13:52So it was sort of, it's just very simply extraordinary to be able to breathe underwater.
13:58And we were down there for a long time, really, you know, you, while everything's being set up, you'd just
14:04be breathing, but you couldn't see.
14:05So you had your eyes closed and you just concentrate on your breathing, but you're aware that you're floating and,
14:10you know, and you could feel yourself when you breathe in, you'd rise up.
14:13And when you breathe out, you'd sink down.
14:15And when you, so it was just, um, it was kind of disorientating, but, um, but also kind of beautiful
14:21and, and, and a bit cold, but, um, but also kind of dreamlike.
14:28And since you are so good with French, uh, would you consider to maybe work in Italy and learn some
14:35Italian who are, uh, who is a director that you would like to work with?
14:40I haven't seen, and I'm, I'm, I'm forgive me because I'm forgetting their name and I know, and I'm yet
14:45to see, but I, I adored Happy as Lazaro.
14:47And so I was, I missed Chimera last year, but, um, from what I've seen of it and heard of
14:52it and what I thought about Happy as Lazaro, I would love to work with that.
14:58Yeah.
14:58Yeah.
14:59And of course, and I also have a very dear friend, Natalie Bianchieri, who is, we did a film Wolf
15:03together, who I would love to work with Natalie again.
15:06And she's, um, you know, she's, she's a dear friend of mine.
15:10And since you make both choices again, can you tell me something about the end?
15:15Because I know that you will be singing and musicals are not so, yes, Wicked will be a huge success,
15:24but Joker 2 wasn't a great success.
15:27So maybe making a musical nowadays is a risk.
15:31So again, you took another risk.
15:34So what can you tell me about that musical?
15:38Yeah, I think, um, uh, well it's, it's because it's about, again, it's quite a heavy theme, but Josh Oppenheimer,
15:44our director, it's about the last, ostensibly the last family on earth who have kept themselves safe after the world's
15:52collapse.
15:52And it's about how a family functions, uh, when they can't acknowledge their past.
15:58Um, and then their situation, their circumstances change, their circumstance changes.
16:03And that makes them sort of, they're forced to recalibrate, uh, and kind of look at themselves differently and acknowledge,
16:11you know, their, their wrongdoings basically.
16:14Um, but it's, yeah, it's another, it's another film about denial, but it's, but I just feel like it, what
16:21the script spoke to something so particular and so nuanced.
16:25Josh, um, Josh Oppenheimer, our director has such an amazing mind and it's about self-deception.
16:32I think deception is one thing and that's maybe the kind of first level, but, but kind of looking at
16:38how and why people allow themselves to, or kind of create narratives for themselves to remove themselves from the truth
16:46is, um, is a really pertinent, you know, theme on personal levels, on, on broader levels as well.
16:53And, and, and he's, he said that it needed to be a musical because for him, musicals are so often
16:58about delusion, you know, it's about, um, yeah.
17:03And, and the golden age musicals that it was based upon were often written at a time politically and socially
17:08where they're like the world is potentially going to collapse, isn't pending nuclear war.
17:12And yet you've got everyone doing jazz hands and songs and that in itself is a fascinating, you know, circumstance.
17:19So he, you know, I just trusted Josh's vision and looking at that subject and it was such an extraordinary
17:25part.
17:26I wanted to dive in.
17:29I think it's my last question because there are still, so if you love so much stories that talk about
17:36the end of the world, do you believe that we are facing the end of the world?
17:41We are going towards the end of the world if, if there isn't, if there isn't legitimate change.
17:48Yeah.
17:48Yeah.
17:49Potentially.
17:50Um, I think that's like the science says yes.
17:53So I think we can, we can turn it around.
17:56I mean, we've seen with the pandemic, how massively, you know, things can change, you know, massive, the ways and
18:03with which sort of societies like kind of deal with things, how we deal with each other can change.
18:09And it doesn't necessarily have to be the same way, but just massive change can, is possible.
18:15Things can, can turn around so quickly.
18:17Um, so I think with change, we can be fine, but without change, no, yeah, I think we are heading
18:22to the end.
18:25Okay.
18:26Thank you so much.
18:26You are great in this movie.
18:29Amazing.
18:30Oh, thank you very much.
18:31Thank you so much.
18:47Thank you so much.
18:48Thank you.
18:50Grazie a tutti
Commenti